The Art of Crystalocution: Part Two
Simulator(#11997Rnt) - Darkmount As awe-inspiring as the walls and tower of Darkmount are, and how well they instill the sense of Decepticon militarism and industry, they are far from the only signs, if the most obvious. Within the tower on the 99th floor is one room that can be anywhere and anyone it wants to be. Cavernously large and covered walls, ceiling, and floor in reflective metal tiles, the simulator is an ideal training ground for weapons, recruits, or veterans looking to hone their skills. Contents: Bludgeon Training Drone Obvious exits: Out leads to Atrium. Training Room: Your current profile has been saved. It will be restored when you exit the room. This is a training room. Check out +help Training_Rooms for special commands. Bludgeon is in the Simulator Training Room, as he often is. But he isn't looking to improve himself this evening, but instead is planning to meet Scorn here once again, to continue the training they've been engaged in recently. He stands in the center of the room, arms crossed, hovering a few inches above the ground in his true form. Surrounding him are several crystalline structures, also hovering in the air around him. It's an unusual sight, and probably signifies an incremental jump in Scorn's training tonight. <'Decepticon'> Blitzwing says, "This is fun!" With Bludgeon's drones continuing to supply the crystals, Scorn hasn't paused in her training, working at it whenever she has time. So much so that her hands have grown rather sore, not used to direct strikes like she's being taught. But she ignores it for the most part and returns to the training room at the Pretender's call, greeting him with a slight bow of the head when stepping in. "Bludgeon." She addresses him with a soft smirk, though she slips back to a more neutral expression when eyeing the floating crystals. "I've been practicing, as instructed. ..Does this mean I'm ready for the next step?" <'Decepticon'> Discord says, "Apparently, as well as having a significant number of tread tracks on his ugly paintwork, that yellow one is not as good at demolition derby as his body work would suggest." Bludgeon turns his head, arms still crossed, darkened optics gazing intently at Scorn. Studying her. Analyzing her. She has indeed performed well. A single look to her hands confirms her diligence. As he slowly rotates in the air to face her, the crystals begin to slowly revolve around him. "You have demonstrated a great deal of aptitude so far against stationary targets. These will not be stationary. Consider it a test." Bludgeon says, his dark optics studying Scorn carefully. "If you can destroy these drones, then you will have honed your precision adequately enough for me to show you how to use it against an actual opponent. I will show you a fraction of your ultimate potential, and you will have a new means of destroying your enemies." He waves a single hand towards the spinning crystalline drones. They speed up, then move to begin circling Scorn instead of himself. "When you are ready. Do not rush. Focus your mind. Sharpen your sight. Silence your chaos." Moving targets this time? This will pose a bit of a challenge.. But Scorn doesn't back down and simply nods before steadying herself and relaxing her posture. Thoughts clear away as she focuses on the spinning drones, antennas twitching now and again while keeping track of them and studying their movements, looking for her chance to move in on them which is right about.. now! Moving into action, the mantis springs forward and deftly weaves between two that rotate by her, though she begins to twist midstep towards the one passing, foot only touching the ground for a second before she springs off it jump at her opponent's back. With a grunt Scorn lashes out and strikes the drone with her palm to see and feel where the fracture points hide while simultaneously shoving it from the group to single it out. By now she's learned to memorize where more than one weak point is, so the moment a few light up she strikes like lightning and assaults the crystal construct with a flurry of her hands. Arm still crossed, floating a few inches above the ground, Bludgeon continues to observe Scorn. She demonstrates several techniques she's learned, and even though the crystals are moving, they follow the same rules as the stationary ones. One strike to reveal the points, one strike to shatter it. And the first drone does indeed shatter. Scorn has been training quite well. Bludgeon glances towards the drones, transmitting a silent command, and they speed up. They moving more erratically, fast, and begin to spin, making themselves more difficult targets. The same basic concept as before, but more difficult. The samurai is intent to see if Scorn is truly capable of performing under the increased pressure before moving onto the final lesson. One down, several to go. A crystal shard is crushed under heel as Scorn turns from her downed opponent to face the rest. Hm, so he wants to speed things up a bit, eh? Time to dance, then. Sharp, yellow optics keep pace with their insectoid vision as the femme bounds into the fray, diving around one droid to avoid it and kicking out to strike with her pointed heel and knock it into another. Should they slow down a little upon collision she'll slip in close in a fluid motion to hit where heel struck, and irritating the little crack with a hail of razor nails until it shatters. The second will be a bit tricky, Scorn turning attention to it next and grimacing as it spins back up. For this she has to be a bit more patient and instead follows the drone, studying erratic movements until she spots an open window to hit with her palm. Not a lot of time to feel the weak points, but she notes a few and focuses on them, keeping close to the drone and circling about it while striking quick when she has the chance at it and takes her time weakening it until it can't continue. Another drone shatters in the air, showering Scorn with tiny crystalline fragments as she moves from target to target. They prove more difficult than the previous, but her concentration and focus prove successful against the moving targets. Bludgeon simply observes in silence, studying the way she moves and how she seeks out the weak points. She's learned that lesson well, and while there are other ways to find fracture points, this one proves quite sufficient to her needs. Suddenly they stop moving. The drones hang in the air, as though frozen in time. The air pressure suddenly plunges, something Scorn's highly focused sensors can immediately feel. Turning back towards the samurai, she sees him walking towards her. He stops within a few arm lengths. "Let's just move right to end. Thrown into the sharkticon tank, as it were." He slowly flexes his fingers. He looks like he's going to attack. "Your final lesson. Use everything you have learned. Everything you have practiced. I have shown you how to See. And I have shown you when to Strike." He slides his legs apart into a fighting stance. "Now is the time to use everything, and let us see if you are truly able to See." He moves forward instantly, testing Scorn's reflexes with a quick strike. Combat: Bludgeon strikes Scorn with his Initiating Strike attack! -3 Combat: You took 4 damage. Scorn is about to go for another, but she reins herself back in when they stop and the air shifts. Bright optics flit towards Bludgeon, who now approaches, scanning over him swiftly. "So I finally get to face you." The femme muses, lips pulling into a wicked little smile when turning and sinking into her fighting stance. "I admit, I really wanted to test your blade instead, but this is just as acceptable." Samurai arts versus praying mantis style. This should be interesting. When he begins to move in Scorn starts to slip back, but his speed is more than she first anticipated and he connects. A hiss and a faint wince is drawn from the femme who retaliates by whipping hand out to knock aside his and hopefully give her an opening to quickly slam the heel of her palm into his chest before following up with other hand. Combat: Scorn strikes Bludgeon with her Mantis Style (Punch) attack! Combat: Scorn compares her Accuracy to 80: Failure :( The first blow lands directly at Bludgeon's chest, but unlike the crystals, he doesn't reveal any fracture points from the blow. The second blow is deflected instantly, nearly throwing Scorn off balance. "The sword is irrelevant. This isn't a fight to the death, Scorn. This is where you find out if you're going to be a grunt forever or if you're going to evolve into something greater." The samurai thrusts his hand forward to the side of Scorn's head, barely missing her. The sheer force creates a concussive wave that blasts the femme with a strong wind. He doesn't let up though, he presses harder, spinning full circle and lashing out with a sweeping kick to continue to push her off balance. Combat: Bludgeon strikes Scorn with his Leg Sweep attack! -3 Combat: You took 4 damage. Scorn doesn't take kindly to that comment, visibly grimacing now and clenching her jaw. "I will never be a /grunt/." She hisses nastily, only to be rebuffed and sent staggering a step when a wave of force from just his fist moving through the air hits her. She's about to counter, but his leg gets the better of her and knocks her down. Damn he's fast, but that won't make her back down. Scorn has a goal and she's intent on seeing it through, immediately righting herself by pivoting her body in a twisting roll, almost like she were breakdancing, and swings legs out at him to slash with her dagger heels. !attack bludgeon=kick Combat: Scorn strikes Bludgeon with her Kick attack! Bludgeon takes the blow to his arm, raising it just in time to deflect the strike, dispersing it along his forearm plating. He grabs the leg and nearly /throws/ Scorn aside. "Then stop fighting me like a grunt, Scorn. Stop using those old, simple, common moves. Show me your optics can see beyond the mundane, beyond the simple, common universe." He throws several strikes at her, none of them landing but all of them gauging her reflexes and speed. "Show me that this wasn't all a waste of time. Show me that you are worth /existing/. That you will claw and fight and bite your way to the top, bleeding and crying out in both pain and defiance!" Bludgeon suddenly thrusts his open hand forward, aiming at Scorn's center. He goads her, physically and emotionally. He has to see the fire. He has to see if the passion burning inside of her is worthy of greatness, or if pain and fear will cause her to shrivel up and cower. Combat: Bludgeon strikes Scorn with his Inciteful Strike attack! -1 Combat: You took 8 damage. "Ergh!" Scorn's claws at the ground in an attempt to keep her from being tossed, but Bludgeon's strength wins out and she's thrown across the training room. Quickly she scrambles to her feet only to have the mech upon her again, forcing her to dodge incoming hits and weave around them until he surprises her and strikes her torso, making her clutch it after being pushed back a few steps. "Fine.." The femme begins slowly, not looking at him yet and instead clenching fists. "..You want to see defiant? Then I will show you!" Head snaps up and she bellows at him in a voice that instantly ratchets up into a shrill screech as lower jaw splits open into clacking mandibles. Without hesitation she rushes him, primed and ready. With speed on her side Scorn feints to the side the moment she meets him, trying to duck around and assault his side with more precise strikes of her palms to get a bead on hos armor's internal structure. Combat: Scorn strikes Bludgeon with her Defiant Strike (Punch) attack! "I want all of it." Bludgeon's voice intones, reverberating deeply. Scorn's blows land solidly, but she still can't see the fractures. Her optics watch, but the resonations are invisible to the naked optic. Yet something inside of her seems to refocus her eyes on a point towards his midsection. There's nothing there. No fracture, no flaw, no resonation. Yet something inside of her. Perhaps it's not what her optics see, but what her subconscious does. Bludgeon doesn't give her time to think or dwell upon it. He moves to counterattack, throwing another flurry of attacks her way. "I want everything you have. I want your passion and your fire. I want your pain and your blood. It isn't enough to simply know the techniques. It isn't enough to simply look! You have to see without optics, to feel without hands!" The samurai suddenly SLAMS his foot down, creating a shockwave through the floor beneath them. It's something he does in combat fairly often, though for the first time, Scorn realizes it's not just for dramatic effect. As the shockwave passes beneath them, something seems to stir within the Insecticon. Her eyes can't seem to see anything, but something inside of her reacts to the wave.. All of the training, all of the hours striking and watching the resonations in the crystals. All of the blows, all of the techniques, all of the strikes.. Something inside of her processor has been trained to See things that Scorn herself has not. Before she can use this knowledge, Bludgeon moves to strike, threatening to unleash a staggering blow to Scorn's midsection. It's a simple, direct move, following the shockwave that revealed Scorn's points. It's a move she could easily copy, duplicate, but that would mean putting faith into.. A pause. Into herself. Into her spark. Into the invisible, unknown potential within her. Combat: Bludgeon misses Scorn with his Fracture Point attack! -3 Techniques such as these are something Scorn never imagined were possible. Such an odd feeling ripples through her when his shockwave rattles the ground beneath her feet and shakes her core. ..The core. The nag at the back of her mind shifts forward now and something clicks. Right there, that's where she'll need to hit. Bludgeon has the same idea, but Scorn is ready for him this time. Her fury subsides briefly, enough for her to focus on his movements, predict what he's going to do next. And as that fist comes towards her she faces it head on, grace and speed taking over with one hand deflecting incoming strike while body slips out of the way and into his personal space to greet his own midsection with a hard, sudden counter of his own move. Combat: Scorn strikes Bludgeon with her Counter (Punch) attack! The counterattack strikes Bludgeon dead in the chest, which is nothing special in itself because Bludgeon always takes blows, relying on his armor to absorb them. Except this time he staggers back a step, one hand clutching his chestplate. Behind his hand is splinters, spiderwebbed cracks spreading across his frame. A single spark emits from the wound. For a moment, his optics flash wide, but then they return to their normal darkened forms. It's been such a long, long time since anyone has struck one of his fracture points, since anyone was able to learn. To evolve. Bludgeon moves out of stance, standing up straight. His face is emotionless as ever, his faceplate devoid of any mouth or features to show what he's thinking. But his words and his tone speak volumes. "Above everything, the greatest lesson is to believe in yourself. Not through arrogance or ego, but through confidence and trust. When all is said and done, when all your allies has fallen around you, when the war is at its darkest and our enemies stand above us ready to strike us down, never allow yourself to doubt for a single moment," he takes a step towards Scorn, extending his arm and pointing directly at the center of her chest, "that within you is the greatest weapon you will ever wield." He lowers his arm. "I have taught you all I can, for now, and you have made me proud. Go and reflect on what you have learned, and unleash it upon your enemies. Know that it is not always what we see with our eyes, but often what we feel with our sparks, that shows us in our darkest hour, the light with which we need to succeed." The samurai places his right fist into his left palm, inclining his head respectfully to Scorn, then turns without another word and leaves the Simulator. His one hand still clutches his chest as he leaves, and Scorn suddenly realizes something else. That Bludgeon had turned off the safeties in the Simulator, and that it truly was as the samurai said: Evolve or die. Scorn connects, but is a little surprised to see Bludgeon staggers back. Did she really hit him that hard? ..No, those cracks. Looks like she was right and a weak point was there all along. Straightening, Scorn allows herself a faint smile of appreciation towards the mech as he praises her. "Thank you, Bludgeon. I'll take your words to spark and use this new skill well." She returns his bowing gesture and moves to the simulator console as he leaves to shut it down. Of course when she does this she notes the settings and pauses, looking to where he exited. It's now that she's truly thankful she won that little match, earning her the right to wield his technique. Category:Non-TP Category:2035